There is no need to travel out of Oxford to try and find that perfect dress for any occasion.
Glorious Collections, located at 117 S. Washington St., is a boutique women’s fashion store offering a full line of one-of-a-kind wedding gowns and formal wear.
Co-owners Reggie Smith, the founder of ReGina Paul Salons of Oxford and Lake Orion, and Christine Pustelny, of Oxford, take great pride knowing customers can find the perfect dress for any occasion.
‘Being that we are a boutique, our fashions change with the seasons and the styles,? Pustelny said.
‘Right now we are really set up for prom, so most of our dresses are very formal. After prom season, our dresses will become more cocktail, more casual and just some fun, everyday spring and summer dresses.?
‘Those are going to take us through spring and summer, and then we are back at homecoming and then after that, other formal dances, then holiday and back to formal dances and prom,? Smith said.
Glorious Collections can ensure the worst prom dress nightmare – two girls wearing the same dress – doesn’t happen in their store.
‘If we carry anything that is a duplicate, we monitor the dresses so they cannot be sold in the same size and color to someone else at the same event that the dress has already been sold to,? Smith said.
Glorious Collections has a discount program where girls can bring in gently used prom dress and receive up to 25 percent off their purchase of a new dress.
According to Smith, the collected dresses will be donated and given to girls who cannot afford to purchase a prom dress.
Currently Glorious Collections carries bridal gowns ranging from tiny to plus sizes. Smith noted some gowns have been purchased from brides as far away as Seattle, Washington and Canada.
The dresses sold in their store are hand picked from top merchandise markets in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York and California. Glorious Collections carries collections from Heather French Henry, Miss America’s 200 winner’s line, LaFemme, MNM Couture, Moonlight Bridal, Dere Kiang Bridal, Crush and Milano Formals.
The style of dresses is determined by what customers have been asking for, Smith said.
‘We are working with customers to give then what they want,? she said.
‘As women, we have always been interested in fashion, and being very different women, it’s a good joint effort between the two of us because we both zero in on different styles and different things, so we are able to meet a lot of different styles and varieties,? Pustelny said.
It is not just all about the dress at Glorious Collections. Customers can complete their look by selecting from a wide variety of formal shoes and sandals, jewelry, gloves, shawls and boleros.
For guys, they even offer ties that match the dress color.
Smith and Pustelny felt there was a great need in the Oxford area for bridal and formal dresses.
‘We (have) known each other for awhile…we had a couple years to talk about what we would do, what would that model look like, how would we put it together,? Smith said.
What sets Glorious Collections apart from the ‘big-box stores? is the personal service a customer receives when they walk through the door.
‘We help them try on the dress, we pay attention to them…we don’t give them their dresses and walk away. We really help them through the whole thing,? Smith said.
‘When they try on those dresses, we watch for the one that brings that gleam in their eye and that smile on their face that says oh my goodness, this is it,? Pustelny said.
Smith added that it was a thrill to be able to take part in women finding a dress for that special event in their lives.
‘It is an honor and it makes us feel so good to see them stand right there when they put that dress on and finally smile. They just feel so good about themselves,? Smith said.
Glorious Collections is open Monday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 1-7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, give Glorious Collection a call at (248) 628-9000 or visit their website at www.gloriouscollections.com.